The 2018 CCC Championship finished on May 2, 2018, with Stephen Welt topping the field with an undefeated 4-0 score. This championship was Stephen’s fifth since 2009 where it had been contested between Elijah Neumann (4 wins) and David Causey (2 wins) and Stephen. One of Stephen’s wins was a tie with David Causey where there was no playoff. To see the USCF cross table from the event, click on the following link:

Per our bylaws, the first meeting in April each year is for the election of officers. We need our members to be present to have a quorum else it will be postponed until a quorum attends. The election will be for president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. Our officers take care of the business of our club and set schedules for tournaments and special events. If anyone is interested in becoming a club officer, please contact one of the current officers and we can advise the roles of responsibility accordingly.

Also, our annual club championship usually begins on the second Wednesday of April each year, so sign up is between 7:00-7:30pm on April 11 with the 1st round beginning soon thereafter. We are planning a time control of Game 75 with a 10 or 15 second increment. Rounds will be each Wednesday thereafter with the number of rounds based on number of registered players. USCF membership is required but entry is free for current club members. Dues are $10 per year for those who need to join or renew.

Lendel Robinson(1734) might have been last registering for the 44th Snowstorm Special but that didn’t keep him from winning 1st place in Saturday’s annual tournament. Ranked 4th behind three “A” players, Lendel scored 4-0 including a win over Randy Mosteller(1824) of Elloree, SC, in the 3rd round. He finished with a win over CCC’s own James Bickley who had three points going into the final round with a big win over Ian Barnett(1822) in the 3rd round. Jim’s consolation was winning the U2000 prize. Second place outright went to Stephen Welt of Charleston, who was the highest rated player, but took a 1/2 point bye in the 1st round and scored three straight wins to score 3.5-.5.

Also noteworthy was the performance of Matthew Johnson and Warren Sampson who each scored 3-0-1.0 to win the U1800 and U1600 prizes, respectively. Just as many times in the past, it took only two points to win a prize in the lower rankings as James Poole II and Jonathan Satterfield won the U1400 and U1200 prizes with 2.0-2.0 scores.

To view the final USCF crosstable for the event, click on the following link:

The 44th Snowstorm Special Open Chess Tournament and the Spring 2018 Scholastic will be held February 17, 2018, at the Church of the Holy Cross, 299 Seven Farms Drive, Daniel Island. Click on the below links for flyers and entry forms:

The 13th Pat Hart Memorial Scholastic will be held on January 20, 2018, at the Church of the Holy Cross on Daniel Island (same as our meeting location). We are proud to have started this annual event in memory of Pat who served our club as well as the state in building chess activity. He was a strong player in his own right and scored many local championship titles. Come out and compete as a great warmup for the S.C. Scholastic Championships in March. Click below for a flyer and entry form.

Mark your October calendar for Saturday, October 28, for the Charleston Fall Scholastic. It will be held at The Church of the Holy Cross, 299 Seven Farms Drive, Daniel Island, SC. in the Parish Hall. Printout the following flyer for info:

For the next few months, David Causey will be bringing his old chess books to the club and sell them for a $1.00 or less! All money collected will be donated to the club so bring your extra pocket money and add to your collection. If any members want to do the same, bring some of your old books, too, and help your club. Any sales not for donation to the club must be handled privately and not part of this promotion. There will also be a special prize for the person who contributes the most from books sale purchases through December 31, 2017!

The 2017 CCC Championship ended on 4/10/17 and resulted in Elijah Neumann’s fourth championship in a row. He defeated David Causey to complete a 3-0 sweep of his opponents and take the first place prize. John von der Lieth captured 2nd place with a 2.5-.5 result while Paul Bryan took 3rd place with a 2.0-1.0 score. The Top Under 1500 prize went to our new club Vice President, Jonathan Satterfield. Congratulations to Elijah, who will be leaving us for awhile as he seeks his fortune, and to the other winners who we hope will remain active players at our club.

We are planning to begin the CCC Championship on April 26, 2017, with a three to four round Swiss. We will have rounds each subsequent meeting night at a time control of Game 60 with a 30 second increment. Entry fee will be $5 for club members and for those needing to join, the dues are $10 per year. 1/2 point byes will be available for those with conflicts. We will have trophies for top scorers and a full return of the entry fees as monetary prizes. The final format will be determined by number of entries and ratings. You can pre-enter next Wednesday, 4/19/17, to help us determine how many our playing. See you there!

Update: 1st round began on Wednesday, 4/26/17,with nine players. You can still join the tournament for the 2nd round by just taking a 1/2 point bye for the 1st round.

I’ve come up with four rating lists. The first one is Top 11 Charleston Area Scholastic Players. I chose a definition of, playing more than half of their tournaments in the Charleston area. So without further ado…

Charleston Area Top 11 Scholastic Chess Players as of March 18, 2017

1. Matthew Johnson1530

2. David Dye1470

3. Eli Moore1435

4. Seiram Ramesh1272

5. Robert (Alex) Hylton1254

6.Braeden Reed1227

7.Sam Stalnaker1157

8.William Tabakian1151

9.Matthew Stewart1092

10.Arden Richter1060

11.Alex Tabakian1059

Second Scholastic rating list is “K8 and Younger”(Pre High School)?Note top 5 are same as K12

The 12th Patrick D. Hart Memorial Scholastic will be held on Saturday, January 21, 2017, at our regular meeting site, The Church of the Holy Cross on Daniel Island. For those that don’t know our club history, Pat Hart was a stalwart of the Charleston Chess Club as well as the S.C. Chess Association. Pat not only kept the club in good standing, but also organized tournaments and other chess events for the community. He served as President and Treasurer of the CCC and as Treasurer of the SCCA. As a player, he achieved not only club champion, but also state champion, and an Expert ranking in OTB and postal chess. He was a strong blitz player, also. The most incredible achievement was that he was wheel chair bound, with limited use of his hands and body! Pat had a wonderful wit, great intelligence, and unwavering diligence that manifested itself through his running of our club. We honor his life by holding this tournament in his memory. Check out the flyer below for details:

The 77th S.C. Championships were held in Columbia this past weekend and after all the games were finished, our own club champion is now the 2016 S.C. Co-Champion. Elijah tied Columbia’s Ben Caiello at 3-2 and was 2nd on tiebreaks for the 1st place trophy. His score does make him the co-champion and he can represent South Carolina at any event Ben Caiello is unable to make, including the Border Battle with North Carolina. Congratulations to Elijah for his solid play and tremendous result.

For those members that would like to play a rated match, let us know and we can arrange one. You and your opponent must have an established USCF rating and be within 400 points of each other. The minimum number of games is four and you can choose the time control. Games with Quick Chess time controls (less than Game/30) can play at least two games per meeting night. Longer time controls may only allow one game per night. It’s good training and good experience, so let us know if you are interested.

This week’s meeting will feature our club champion (and Prez), Elijah Neumann, giving us a presentation on the King’s Gambit. This is an opening that will test your ability to play double-edged positions where either mate or a material advantage will decide the game. Sometimes, one player will have the material advantage only to succumb to mate by the opponent. Join in and watch some of the variations in the opening that Elijah will demonstrate, then test yourself in a few thematic games playing both White and Black.

GM Lubomir Ftacnik will be visiting our club on Wednesday night to give a lecture and simul. Visitors are welcome to attend and watch the lecture, but if you want to play in the GM simul, there is small fee of $5 that goes toward scholastic chess. Scholastic players can play for free, but the fee will only apply to non-scholastic players. Bring your set and board if you wish to play against GM Ftacnik.

Update: Thanks to all that showed up and attended GM Ftacnik’s lecture and simul. Around 25 attended the lecture with 17 giving it their best to upset GM Ftacnik, but he held his own 17-0!

Due to a church event requiring all rooms, we will not meet on July 13th. The next meeting on July 20th is a special event for the club with GM Lubomir Ftacnik giving a lecture and simul for our members and guests. The simul is usually a $5 entry fee for non- scholastic players which supports our scholastic chess events. The lecture is free to all, so don’t miss the chance to listen to a strong GM show how they think in complicated chess positions. Be sure to bring your board and set if you plan to participate in the simul.

The 2016 CCC Championship has finished! Congratulations go out to Elijah Neumann/Upper Section Champion and Robert Webb/Lower Section Champion. Other trophy winners in the Lower Section are as follows:

Our meeting this Wednesday, June 15th, will have some exciting chess. Elijah Neumann and David Causey will have a playoff featuring two Game 15;d5 games, and if they are still tied, two 5min blitz games. If there is still a tie, an Armageddon game will be the final tiebreak to determine the club champion.

In the Lower Section, the 4th round matchups should produce some critical chess for those vying for the top three places and the Top U1000 prize. We plan to have a 5th round to determine the final standings.

It is important as we finish our championships that players attend and play their games. This avoids further byes and makeup games so that we can finish by the following Wednesday meeting. Trophies will be ready for the eventual winners.

We still only have 4 players in the Upper Section with only three games played thus far. After wins by Elijah Neumann against Jim Bickley and David Causey against Michael Gorlitsky in the first round, Neumann and Causey squared off in the second round Wednesday night. After 50 moves, they agreed to a draw in a position that neither player wanted to risk trying to win. Bickley and Gorlitsky was postponed due to Bickley’s absence, so their game will hopefully be made up next Wednesday. In the Lower Section, fifteen players are competing and after two rounds, John King and Robert Webb have two points, but two games were postponed due to absent players and could produce another two point score for one player. If games are not made up, they will be given a 1/2 point bye in order to pair future rounds. Those that missed need to be sure to show up next Wednesday or you may lose ground to the leaders. Hope to see another good turnout!

Update: In the Upper Section, Bickley vs Gorlitsky was made up Wednesday night, June 1, with Bickley winning. Next week will be Neumann vs Gorlitsky and Bickley vs Causey to finish the round robin pairings. In the Lower Section, many players did not show after missing last week so makeup games were not feasible. Those that were not present to play the 2nd and 3rd round were given half point byes for games missed and eight players were paired for the round. Reed vs King will be made up next week, but results for the rest were Neiffer (0) vs Johnson(1), Magill (0) vs Hitopoulos(1) and Fowler(1) vs Billings(0). Trophy prizes for the tournament will be Champion and Runner Up in the Upper Section and 1st through 3rd and Best U1000 in the Lower Section. Be sure to show up for the next round! There still might be a trophy in your future!

We are taking registrations for those CCC members who want to participate in the 2016 CCC Championship. Free entry is being offered to current CCC members and a reduced club dues of $15 applies to those signing up for the tournament. With enough entries, we will try to have our traditional Upper and Lower Sections with 1st place and Runner Up trophies, accordingly. This a your chance to play USCF-rated chess at regular time controls (Game 90;delay 5 sec) and at a schedule of one game a week. If you haven’t done so, come check out our new site at The Church of the Holy Cross on Daniel Island and sign up to play. Hope to see a good turnout!

Update: We had only 4 players for the Upper Section (above 1500 rating) signup and play in the 1st round! If any other players above 1500 would like to join in, we will take their registration on Wednesday, 5/25/16, and play another 1st round, then merge the two groups into the 2nd round on June 1. The good news is that twelve players are signed up for the Lower Section and played their 1st round Wednesday night. Their 2nd round will be played next Wednesday, 5/25/16.

Our new meeting site at The Church of the Holy Cross on Daniel Island brought out some old members that have not attended in years. Expert Lindsey Blanks and Michael Gorlitsky dusted off their sets and came ready to play. It was good to see them again and we welcomed them back. Overall, we had nearly a dozen attendees and our hosts invited us to continue using their facilities in the future. With our new meeting site secured, our officers will now propose plans for our club championship and other chess activities. Hopefully, our returning old members will join us in our future competitions. For those that missed the first meeting at our new site, we look forward to them turning out and enjoying our new location.

On May 4th, our temporary new meeting site will be located on Daniel Island at the Church of the Holy Cross. The address is 299 Seven Farms Dr., Daniel Island, SC, 29492. Turn left at the corner when you see the church and park behind in the parking area. We will be in one of the meeting rooms in the back building. This is a temporary meeting site as a trial to see if it is adequate for our needs and chess friendly, i.e. space, noise level, etc. If anyone knows of another adequate site for us to check out, let us know.

Due to the closing of the Park Circle Presbyterian Church, we will be looking for a new site for our meetings. We encourage our members and guests to give us input so that we can make this transition as easy as possible. Check the website often for updates so that you will know of any changes in our location, temporary or permanent.

UPDATE: The Park Circle Presbyterian Church has told us that we can use their facility through the end of April. We are still searching for a potential new site and want to remind everyone about our annual meeting on April 6 at the current location. We can elect officers and discuss new site ideas with everyone. Try to make this very important meeting.

The 42nd Snowstorm Special will be held this Saturday at Park Circle Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall. This year’s version will be a one-day, 4 round, G/45;delay 5, open tournament with cash prizes for places and top Under scores. Check out “Upcoming Tournaments” at the right to go to the USCF TLA for the tournament. Entry fee is just $25 and you can either sign up at the club meeting on Wednesday or at the site from 8-9:15am on Saturday. Round 1 will begin at 9:30am. This is an excellent opportunity to play in one of our annual tournaments without giving up the whole weekend! Hope to see our players there!

UPDATE: Fifteen avid players showed up for play with one overall winner, a four-way tie for 2nd, and other Under prize winners. Check out the following link for the USCF final cross table:

Fellow CCC member and TD, Dennis Dawley, rounded up most of our blitz players and held a double round robin tournament at last Wednesday’s meeting. After the smoke cleared, David Causey took top place in the Upper Section Quads with a 6-0 score, while Robert Webb survived to win the Lower Section round robin followed closely by James Falkner and Colby Wright. Check out the results by clicking the link below:

Dennis announced that he would plan another blitz tournament in January, possibly the third meeting night. Join us if you missed the December tournament and try your luck at blitz chess. A small entry fee of $5 is required to play, but most all the money is paid out in prizes.

Our 2015 CCC Champion, Elijah Neumann, held his own against strong competition at last weekend’s S.C. Championships held in Columbia. Facing some of the best players in our state, Elijah scored 3-2, with two wins, two draws (against one master and one expert), and a lone loss against an expert, and was rewarded with the Top U2000 prize. His rating jumped from 1968 to 1987, now nearly expert strength. Congratulations, Elijah, and, as we always say, “Show us your games!”

You can still register for the S.C. Championships at the CCC meeting this Wednesday night and get the early entry reduced fee. Check out “Upcoming Tournaments” by clicking on the right side of the main page to get all the details about the tournament. Any questions about the tournament can be posed to David Causey at this week’s meeting. SCCA memberships are also available through David since he is the SCCA Treasurer.

Cost: $10 if registered by 11/1; $15 for registration after 11/1. USCF Membership Required: All participants MUST have a valid USCF membership. Please go to www.uschess.org & click join/renew or see registration form.

Tournament Details: Trophies to top 3 in K-12, top 5 in K-8, top 3 in K-3. Trophy to top unrated player in K-3 and K-5. 4 rounds. Swiss System; G:30 (each player has 30 min). The tournament will last up to 5 hours. Many players will be finished by 2:00. Parents may watch quietly from specified sections. Please remember to bring lunch & snacks!

Elijah Neumann and Zach Darga repeated their championship ways by winning the 2015 CCC Championship Upper and Lower Sections, respectively. Both sections were decided by using a double round robin format with Elijah scoring 1.5-.5 against both Stephen Welt and David Causey in the Upper Section (over 1500) and Zach scoring 3-0 against all his opponents in the Lower Section (under 1500). Congratulations to both our champions!

In order to give our club players the chance to enter into the 2015 CCC Championship, we will offer two nights to begin play for Rd. 1. Last night, we started with two players in the Upper Section and four in the Lower Section. We will hold an alternative Rd. 1 next Wednesday, May 13th, so that others can join in. Subsequently, Rd. 2 will begin on May 20th, with the two groups of first round players merged into the tournament. Entry is just $5 and we will have “Champion” and “Runner Up” trophies in each section. The Lower Section will be those rated under 1500, but anyone can play up into the Upper Section. Don’t miss your chance to enter this year’s championship! Time control for the Upper Section is G/90;delay 5 and for the Lower Section, it’s G/55;delay 5. Half point byes are available for those that can’t make any rounds. Email with any questions to “[email protected]”. See you there!

The CCC Annual Meeting for elections is tonight, April 1st, 2015. If you have not renewed your membership ($25), you must do so before you are eligible to vote and play in the upcoming club championship in May. Doors will be open at 7pm and the meeting will begin at 7:30pm, so any outstanding dues can be collected before the meeting begins. After the meeting, we will discuss the format of our championship as well as possibly setting up a blitz championship before the regular championship begins. Looking forward to seeing as many members as possible tonight so that you can have input into our future activities.

For many years, it has been known that the open format of the Snowstorm Special can lead to some major upsets. Many a master has gone down to a Class A or B player in the early rounds. For the lower rated players, generally a score of 3-2 will secure some prize money, due to the competition. This year’s tournament was no exception, as Ian Bell, rated 1654, downed last year’s champ, Expert Donny Gray of Georgia, in round four, and went on to win his final round game to place second overall. South Carolina state champion, Expert Wayne Christensen, who had beaten Bell in round two and drawn Gray in round 3, finished the tournament with two strong wins to go 4.5-.5 and take first place overall. Congratulations to Wayne and Ian on a great tournament!

In the U1401 section of the tournament, James A. Williams of Virginia finished just like last year with a 5-0 result and took first place alone. His travelling companion, Joseph Jackson, playing in his first tournament, lost only to his friend, Williams, drew another game, and won 2nd place with a 3.5-1.5 score. For our friends from Virginia, congratulations and thanks for your support!

Commentary: The Snowstorm Special is the only weekend tournament held in the Charleston area to give local players a chance to play without travel and hotel expenses. Some of our club players played in this year’s tournament, as in the past, and we are thankful for their support. It must be mentioned that those who did not attend should note there was no player under 1600 in the Open section, thus no prize was paid out. In fact, some players withdrew that would have probably shared or won the U2000 prize due to Ian Bell achieving the 2nd place finish. An U2000 player that finished the tournament with a 2.5-2.5 score (50%!) won the U2000 prize! If you don’t play, you don’t win prizes! “Food for thought” for those that think they didn’t have a chance after a loss in the early rounds of the Open section. We may make some changes next year to encourage more players to attend, but, hopefully, if those that quit early or didn’t play at all will just look at the results, they should realize that they “left prize money on the table”.

The 41st Snowstorm Special will be held this weekend, Feb. 14-15, 2015, at the Holiday Inn Express, Summerville. This is the same site as last year and the accommodations were excellent. Check out the TLA listing by clicking “Upcoming Tournaments” on the right and follow the links. This is our only weekend tournament held here in the Charleston area so local players have a chance to play without travel and hotel costs. Make this your “must” tournament for the year! Hope to see you there.

For the second straight year, the attendance at the Patrick Hart Memorial Scholastic has set a new record. On Saturday, January 31, 2015, the tournament had 69 participants, breaking last year’s record attendance of 47. These gains would not be possible without the help of our dedicated coaches and teachers who energize these young players into pursuing our beloved activity. Our thanks go out to Stephen Welt, Ec Setser, Dennis Dawley, Derek Duncan, Zach Darga, and Eric Brunhouse for their efforts to grow our scholastic chess in the Charleston area.

Our next meeting will be January 7, 2015, which begins the new year. Remember that annual dues ($25) need to be paid in January per our new bylaws. With two scholastic tournaments being held locally in January and February as well as the Snowstorm Special in February, we have a busy tournament agenda for our local players. We are looking forward to a very active chess year in the Charleston area!

Since our last meeting of the year will be on December 17, let’s bring our used books and equipment to trade or sell on that final night of 2014. It’s a good chance to slim down your inventory and maybe upgrade it with some new material. Bring some cash just in case you need to “sweeten” a deal!

Thanks to Stuart and Susan Chagrin for their hospitality in inviting CCC members for an afternoon luncheon with GM’s Irina Krush, Alex Lenderman, and Giorgi Kacheishvili. It was a special opportunity for our members to meet and ask questions about top level chess while getting to know these very special chess players. Irina and Alex were in training with their coach, Giorgi, and took a break to meet our members and socialize. They can certainly include our CCC members in their fan base in the future. Good luck to them both!

U.S. Women’s Champion, GM Irina Krush (right center), GM Alex Lenderman (left center), and their trainer, GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (far right) joined by CCC club members for a photo.

Note: The 4th place team was from Mason Prep and was made up of Pierson Tran on 1st board, then followed by an all-girls contingent of Christie Tran, Sophie Nguyen, and Eshani Methta. They fought hard and garnered a few points for their efforts.

Thanks to CCC Sec. Dennis Dawley for organizing and directing this new tournament. Also, many thanks to our CCC volunteers, Alan Hopkins, Gregg Passmore, EC Setser, and Wally Jack for helping out with the tournament.

Newly crowned club champion, Elijah Neumann, methodically downed all but one opponent during his club simul at last night’s meeting. His only loss was to Alan Hopkins, while he dispatched Jeanie Herold, Wally Jack, Gregg Passmore, Doug Hare, and David Causey with losses. Congratulations, again, to our new champ and we look forward to having him for the summer before he goes off to college.

The 2014 Charleston Chess Club championship is now complete and we crown a new champion, Elijah Neumann. Elijah scored 4.5-.5 to take the Upper Section Championship trophy, followed by runner-up, Dennis Dawley, with 3.5-1.5. In the Lower Section competition, Zach Darga swept the double round robin format with a perfect score of 6-0. There was a tie for runner-up between Gregg Passmore and Wallace Jack, both scoring 3-3. Congratulations to all our trophy winners and thanks to all who competed.

Click on this link to see the USCF crosstable: ” http://www.uschess.org/assets/msa_joomla/XtblMain.php?201406047322-10213606″

This Wednesday, as has been tradition for many years, our new champion will give a simul to all members and guest who attend the meeting. Bring your board and set and see if you can knock off the new champ!

The annual meeting will be held April 2nd with election of officers and report on the club standing. We urge all members to attend and any old or new members to renew or join in order to vote. We will discuss the upcoming club championship beginning on April 9th, so your input is encouraged. See you there!

Hard to believe that two meetings were missed due to ice storms! Well, Spring is near and daylight savings time has begun. With that, our club ladder continues with rated games each Wednesday night, so join us for some competitive chess. As a reminder, our annual club championship will begin on the second Wednesday in April, so get your game in shape so that a possible trophy might find its way to your mantle this year!

Expert Donny Gray of St. Simons, Georgia, won his third Snowstorm Special in four years after going 4-1 in the annual event this past weekend. The 40th Snowstorm Special was held at the Holiday Inn Express-Summerville, on February 8-9, 2014, and attracted 18 players from South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia. Expert Patrick McCartney of Charlotte, N.C., finished 2nd with a 3.5-1.5 score. Check out the following link for the USCF crosstable of the event:

Other prize winners were Elijah Neumann and John von der Lieth who tied for the Under 2000 prize and Ken Fickling who won the Under 1600 prize. In the Under 1401 section, James Williams of Virginia won 1st place with a 5-0 score, with Eric Hill (NC), Zach Darga (SC), and Gregg Passmore(SC), tying for 2nd place.

Are you ready for some local chess? The 40th Snowstorm Special and the 9th Patrick D. Hart Memorial Scholastic is this weekend, Feb. 8-9th for the Snowstorm and Feb. 8th for the PHM Scholastic. Last chance to register at the lower pre-entry rate is this Wednesday night at our regular meeting. Each tournament TLA can be found in the January issue of Chess Life. Details can be found at the state website. Just click on the following link:

We’ll meet next Wednesday at our regularly scheduled time. Remember to bring your entry fee for those that are registering for the Snowstorm Special or the Pat Hart Memorial Scholastic on the following weekend.

For those that have missed recent meetings, please note that there has been a change in our annual dues. With an announced business meeting on December 18th, 2013, a vote was made to raise the annual dues to $25, payable each year in January. For those that have current memberships expiring in 2014, they are still valid and we will work with you to pro-rate your renewal or else wait until January, 2015, to renew. This change has been recorded in our Bylaws which can be accessed on this site.

The Club Ladder is still going strong with exciting games and upsets! You can still join since the final talley for prizes won’t be until August, 2014. You must be a current member and, for a $10 fee, can play many rated games during the year.

Also, we have some equipment and books for sale at great prices, so bring a few extra dollars and add to your library or equipment stash.

There will be no meetings of the Charleston Chess Club on Wednesday, Nov. 27, Dec. 25, and Jan. 1, due to the holidays. There will be a very important business meetingon Dec. 18for a vote on an amendment change that will be published at the club and by email to all members. Be sure to pick up a copy of the change at the meetings or keep a watch out for an email concerning this important issue.

CCC members who attended this year’s annual S.C. Championships in Columbia did not leave “empty handed”! CCC’s own Elijah Neumann scored 4-1 in the Under 1800 section and tied with Joe Rochester of Greenville, winning the 1st place trophy on tiebreaks. Congratulations to Eli for bringing home the “cash and hardware”! Also winning cash prizes were club members Zach Darga, who won the U1200 prize outright, and Nathen Ritterson, who shared the U1000 prize. Yours truly helped organize and direct the tournament while playing three games and taking two 1/2 point byes. Winning two out of three games played, I managed to tie for the U2000 prize! Miracles do happen! My only loss was to the eventual winner and state champion, IM Alexander Matros. I felt very fortunate to win two games against a talented young scholastic player, Kapish Potula, and pretty WFM, Natasha Fairley! Check out the below link for the USCF rated crosstable:

The CCC Ladder will continue on Wednesday night this week. Don’t forget to bring your set, board, and clock, but we do have some sets, bags, and boards for sale for those that need one. Triple-weighted sets and boards, together, are just $10. Add a new bag for $15 more and you’ll be ready for tournament play!

Bring your wins or your losses to get reviewed and discussed with a higher rated player. Be sure it is a complete and accurate scoresheet. This is a great training lesson to get you on the right path towards improvement!

IM Danny Kopec will be our guest on August 14th where he will give a lecture, simul, and have some of his books for sale. All CCC members and guests are welcome to attend. We do ask for a $10 donation from adults who would like to challenge him in the simultaneous exhibition. Those proceeds go towards scholastic chess in S.C. Any scholastic players can play for free! Since he will be offering books for sale, be sure to bring some extra $$ in case you want to buy some. Also, be sure to bring your board and set! Any players planning to play in the Columbia Open can register at this time, also.

Due to a church function utilizing the Fellowship Hall, the CCC will not meet on August 7th. Some members are trying to organize an alternate site to meet and play so keep checking the message board for any developments. We will be meeting again on August 14th at the normal site.

In order for our club to hold rated quick/blitz chess, we must have all interested participants arrive between 7:00-7:15pm in order to sign up. Also, to offset rating fees, we ask for a contribution of $2.00 to play. If any are interested in a prize fund, we can set up an optional side pot for the winners. Be sure to bring your board, set, and clock!

After the fourth and final round concluded, the Charleston Chess Club Championship will be shared by Stephen Welt and David Causey, who won their final games after drawing each other in the 3rd round. Each player finished with a score of 3.5 – .5. The “Under 1500” prize was won by Michael Doyle, who came out of semi- retirement to defend his title, scoring 2.5-1.5 in a field where he played both higher and lower rated opponents. The “Under 1500 Runner-Up” prize will be shared by Zach Darga and Gregg Passmore, both with a final result of 2.0-2.0. Congratulations to all the winners!

We will have an awards presentation during next week’s meeting and make plans for some upcoming “Quick-rated” and “Blitz” tournaments. Click on the following link to view the USCF-rated crosstable:

The third round of the Charleston Chess Club Championship did not produce any real upsets, but it did produce some interesting fighting games and build the stage for the critical final round next week. The following grid shows the results of the games:

Bd.

White

Rating

Result

Black

Rating

Result

1

David Causey

1919

1/2

Stephen Welt

2030

1/2

2

Carl Vero

1742

0

Ian Morton

1873

1

3

Daniel Makowsky

Unr

1

John King

1274

0

4

Zach Darga

1003

0

Michael Doyle

1472

1

5

Elijah Neumann

1450

1

Anthony Brown

1479

0

6

Alan Hopkins

Unr

1

Gordon Miller

964

0

7

Gregg Passmore

1224

(1)

BYE

Dennis Dawley

1964

(1/2)

Requested

Jim Burden

2111

Withdrew

Congratulations to Alan Hopkins on achieving his first USCF-rated tournament win! It’s all easy from here, Alan!

Fourteen members registered Wednesday night to compete in the 2013 CCC Championship. We decided on a Swiss System format to provide flexibility for those who can’t make it every night but still want to play. If you have not signed up to play, you can still register and just take a 1/2 pt. bye for any rounds missed. First round results are as follows:

Bd

White

Rating

Result

Black

Rating

Result

1

James Burden

2111

1

Michael Doyle

1472

0

2

Elijah Neumann

1450

0

Stephen Welt

2030

1

3

Dennis Dawley

1964

1

John King

1274

0

4

Gregg Passmore

1224

0

David Causey

1919

1

5

Daniel Makowsky

Unr

1

Zachary Darga

1003

0

6

Gordon Miller

964

0

Ian Morton

1873

1

7

Carl Vero

1742

1

Alan Hopkins

Unr

0

No upsets in Rd. 1, but some games were closely contested. Since the lower rated players are playing for the “Top Under 1500” and “Runner Up Under 1500” prize, the tournament will be really just beginning for them in Rd. 2!

Club championship will be a Game 90, delay 10 sec., with the 1st round beginning Wednesday, April 10th, followed by subsequent needed rounds each week. Registration begins at 7pm and 1st round will begin at 7:30pm. Get there early to register so that we can begin on time. Entry fee is just $5.00 and we will offer trophies for 1st place and runner-up, plus an “Under” prize and runner-up to be determined by entries. Club membership is also required ($5.00) as well as USCF current membership. We will determine the rounds and format when we know the number of entries. Bring your set, board, and clock!

Just a reminder to all members, former members, and future members – our annual meeting and election of officers will be on Wednesday, April 3, 2013, at 7:00pm. If you need to re-new your club membership or join, please arrive at 7:00pm so that we can take care of it before the official meeting begins at 7:30pm. Dues are just $5 per year! Also, we will be planning our club championship which begins the following Wednesday, April 10. Join us so that you can be involved in the affairs of our club. Hope to see you there!

National Life Master Klaus Pohl of Greenville, S.C., winner of the 39th Snowstorm Special

NM Klaus Pohl of Greenville, S.C., won his tenth Snowstorm Special last weekend with a final score of 4.5 – .5, drawing only his compatriot from the upstate, Expert Wayne Christensen. Two crucial games decided his final standing, one in the 3rd round when he defeated NM Philipp Lamby, and the other in the final 5th round when he defeated NM Pat Sciacca. Lamby won against Christensen in the final round to finish 2nd, with local “A” player, Ian Morton, who also took the U2000 prize. Sixteen players competed in the Open section, including the U1700 prize winner, “B” player, John Retarides of North Carolina.

In the U1400 Section of the tournament, local player, John King, and upstate player, Joe Rochester, Jr., tied for 1st-2nd with a final score of 4-1. John was returning to chess after a long layoff and showed he was not “out of form” with his result. Only seven players competed in the newly established “U1400” section, so we hope this will grow as players realize their missed opportunity to compete.

Thanks to all who played and we hope you had an enjoyable tournament! We even had a little snow in Summerville to commemorate this special tournament!

Very light turnout for our annual event commemorating this special date. For those that did support our cause, it was a competitive event and we thank them. The following link is the USCF final crosstable:

International Master John Bartholomew, who is playing in this year’s Columbia Open, will be visiting our club on August 15th and will be giving a simultaneous exhibition. We urge all interested participants to show up at 7pm and support us in raising funds for scholastic chess by donating $10 to play the IM. Just bring your board and set and be ready to give him your best game! See you there!

The Charleston Chess Olympic Spirit tournament was held Saturday, June 23, 2012, at the office of SPARC (2387 Clements Ferry Road on Daniel Island). Six supporters attended and battled against a full array of rated players, some with surprising results. Chris Falter, who organized the event and secured his company’s office for the playing site, also succeeded in placing first with a 3-0 score, upsetting last year’s tournament winner at this location, John Von der Lieth. Congratulations to Chris for his efforts and well deserved result. Below is a link to the USCF- rated crosstable for the event:

The 2012 CCC Championship finished last Wednesday night and Expert Stephen Welt repeated as the Upper Section champion with a 5-0 score. David Causey scored 3 1/2 – 1 1/2 to finish as the runner-up. In the Lower Section Championship, Wando High junior, Elijah Neuman, scored 3-0 to dominate that section and become the Lower Section Champion. (To top off his great showing, he scored 2 1/2- 1/2 in the CCC Fundraiser held on Saturday, 5/19/2012, to tie for 1st amongst some of the CCC’s top players! Nothing like a two hundred point plus rating increase to get your rating up!) Ken Fickling scored 2.0 – 1.0 to finish as the Lower Section runner-up. Check out the link below for the crosstables and photos of the champions and runner-up’s:

The 2012 Charleston CC championship began on April 11 with four players in the Top Section playing a Quad format and four players in the Lower Section playing also a Quad format. If others want to join, you can register on Wednesday, April 18, and we will either expand the sections or with enough numbers, add an additional Quad with a future playoff of the winners of each Quad in their section. The key is to be at the club meeting by 7pm so that we can determine how to place you in the competition. Entry is free to current club members, so just bring your set and clock.

Results thru 5/16/12 (Note: Morton and Vonderlieth have been added to the Upper Section to make it a 6 player Round Robin. Colors have been adjusted to ensure players have no more than three Black’s.):

For all you long-time players as well as newcomers, try taking the “Chess Career” test by clicking on the link on the right side of the home page. See how you measure up as a veteren chess player. It’s just for fun, but it is a good way to see how much your involvement has been throughout your chess career. Give us your feedback on the message board.

The 38th Snowstorm Special was held February 11-12, 2012, at the Best Western Plus Downtown, Charleston. Twenty-four players competed for top places plus class prizes with the final outcome not decided until late afternoon on Sunday. Local National Master Ananth Pappu and Expert Donny Gray from Augusta, Georgia, tied for 1st-2nd with a 4-1 final score. Local player, John Von Der Lieth, won the Top “A” prize with an undefeated score of 3.5-1.5. Seth Taylor-Brill from North Carolina won the Top “B” prize with a 3-2 final score. John Schnacke, also a local player, won the Top “C” prize with a final score of 3.5-1.5 and gained 98 rating points to boot! The Top “D” prize was a given for local Ken Fickling since he was the only entry in that class, but he proved deserving with a solid win over a “C” player in the final round after having two 1/2 point byes on Saturday. The Top “E” prize came down to the Navy versus the Marine Corps in the final round, with Navy petty officer, Gordon Miller, facing off against a visiting Marine from Beaufort, David Ortiz, in the final round. Ortiz won the game and claimed the Top “E” prize for the Marine Corps. Thanks to all who attended and supported our hertiage tournament in Charleston. Below are some photos taken during and after the competition:

The 38th Snowstorm Special will be held begining Saturday, February 11, 2012, with rounds 1-3 that day and rounds 4-5 on Sunday. This is a change from past Snowstorm’s, but actually it reverts back to the original format in the early years. In a effort to reduce entry fee costs for our players, but still maintain the same class prizes of $100, we have gone to the 2 day schedule by reducing the cost of the meeting room by one day. We encourage all of our local players to not miss the opportunity to play in a weekend tournament in their home area, thus saving on hotel and travel costs. Early registration at the lower $50 entry fee is available until Wednesday, Feb. 8, and if you cannot get it in the mail before then, just stop by our club meeting that night and you can still register for the lower rate. USCF and SCCA membership is required for play. If your USCF membership has expired, you can renew online at “uschess.org”, but if you just need a SCCA membership, you can join or renew at registration. SCCA memberships are just $10 a year for adults and $5 a year for juniors under 19 years of age.

Our annual Snowstorm Special is considered a “heritage” event by the USCF, having been held for more than 25 years. It is our premier tournament in Charleston and is proud to have not only strong International Masters as winners, but also some of our best local players. This year’s tournament has been tailored more towards the “class” player, since it does not offer grand prix points to attract touring masters, but instead focuses on giving the class players a chance to win either a place prize or a class prize. For those that have not played in awhile, dust off that set and clock, confirm your USCF membership, and get your entry fee in so that you can “capture the glory” once again with your “over-the-board” chess prowess!

The site for this year’s tournament is the same as in the past few years, the Best Western Plus Downtown near the corner of Spring St. and Lockwood Blvd. Parking is free and there are many eateries nearby, including a restaurant in the hotel. We look forward to seeing our regular tournament players, but are always encouraged by those that show up and support our tournament as their lone annual tournament. Newcomers are welcome and we will help with the details of joining all the required associations so that you can become a rated tournament player.

The tournament announcement details can be viewed by clicking on “Upcoming Tournaments” on the right side of the home page. Any questions can be sent to David Causey (email:[email protected]).

A total of twenty-two scholastic players turned out for the 7th annual edition of the Patrick D. Hart Memorial Scholastic chess tournament held at the Best Western Plus Downtown in Charleston this past Saturday. After four rounds of competitive play, the final standings were as follows:

K-12(K-8 Combined) Cross Table

No. Name St Rate 1 2 3 4 Score

1. Fleming, Perry R (1)………. SC 1117 W4 W5 W2 D3 3.5 1st K-8

2. Carroll, Austin Re (2)…….. SC 1108 W7 W3 L1 W4 3.0 1st K-12

3. Balentine, Kean (3)……….. SC 1106 W6 L2 W5 D1 2.5 2nd K-8

4. Whatley, Hannah V (4)….. SC 1009 L1 -B- W6 L2 2.0 2nd K-12

5. Radev, Simeon (5)……….. SC 814 -B- L1 L3 W7 2.0 3rd K-8

6. Utley, Eugene R (7)……….SC nnnn L3 W7 L4 -B- 2.0 3rd K-12

7. Blackman,III, Bardin (6). SC nnnn L2 L6 -B- L5 1.0

K-5 Cross Table

No. Name St Rate 1 2 3 4 Score

1. Younce, Tres (5)………….. SC nnnn L3 W5 -B- W2 3.0 1st

2. Setser, Austin Tho (1)…….SC 576 W4 D3 W5 L1 2.5 2nd

3. Healy, Aiden James (2)…. SC 563 W1 D2 D4 -H- 2.5 3rd

4. Myers, Donovan Way (3).. SC 538 L2 -B- D3 D5 2.0

5. Desplaces, Jack Ro (4)…… SC 430 -B- L1 L2 D4 1.5

K-3 Cross Table

No. Name St Rate 1 2 3 4 Score

1. Apostolico, Vince (3)……… SC 678 W6 W7 W3 W5 4.0 1st

2. Mini, Ulisse (9)………………. SC nnnn L3 W8 W6 W7 3.0 2nd

3. Setser, Brady P (2)……….. …SC 750 W2 W5 L1 D4 2.5 3rd(TB)

4. Osborne, Riley Wil (7)…….. SC 213 -B- W9 L5 D3 2.5

5. Varadarajan, Varun (1)…… NC 858 W8 L3 W4 L1 2.0

6. Lewis, Jacob (8)…………….. SC nnnn L1 W10 L2 W8 2.0

7. Swanson, Adam Mich (4)…. SC 386 W10 L1 D9 L2 1.5

8. Lewis, Joshua (5)…………. …SC 338 L5 L2 W10 L6 1.0

9. Healy, Sean Stuart (6)……… SC 320 -H- L4 D7 L10 1.0

10. Wassung, Luke (10)…………SC nnnn L7 L6 L8 W9 1.0

Congratulations to all the trophy winners and many thanks to the participants and parents for another successful PHM Scholastic!

The December ScholasticTournament this past weekend in Charleston was attended by almost 30 very talented players! Many up-and-coming chess stars came out to Pinckney Elementary on December 3rd to battle for glory (and trophies!). Filled with enthusiasm, and showing unparalleled sportsmanship, these scholastic players are a force to be reckoned with.

Members of the Charleston Chess Club had better watch out for these faces in the next few years; they’ll give you a run for your money!

Hopefully we’ll see all of these promising young players, and more, at the Pat Hart Scholastic Tournament on January 21st, 2012!

Just so our CCC members and guests can get in some last minute games before the Thanksgiving holiday, the club will meet on Wednesday night at 7pm. In the past, we have had reasonably good turnouts before the holiday, so plan to come out and play some chess.

Mark you calendar and get prepared for the 2nd Annual National Chess Day and Festival being held Oct. 7-9, 2011, at the Hawthorn Suites, 2455 Savannah Hwy (US 17S), Charleston, S.C. Be sure to take advantage of the early entry fee of $49 if received before 9/07/11; otherwise, it’s $59 thereafter and at the site. Check out the following link at the SCCA site for details – 2nd Annual National Chess Day and Festival or click on “Upcoming Tournaments” on our main page. This is an important event for Charleston chess since it’s the largest tournament being held in our state commemorating this important date.

Grandmaster Lubomir Ftacnik of Slovakia will be at our club on Wednesday, August 24th, 2011, to present a chess lecture and simultaneous exhibition. The lecture is free to all members and guests, while for the simul, we request a $5 contribution from adult players which goes towards scholastic chess. Scholastic players can play for free! Join us at 7:00pm to attend both events and bring your set and board if you plan to play in the simul. GM Ftacnik has attended twice before in the past and has given very instructive lectures on famous games. His tour of our state has been sponsored by the generosity of Precision Tune AutoCare.

The “Make a Difference 2” chess tournament held on Saturday, July 23rd, brought out fourteen supporters who graciously donated their entry fees for the benefit of the fledgling Summerville High Chess Club. The organizer and tournament director, Chris Falter(pictured below, right), held the tournament in the office of SPARC on Daniel Island, where he is employed. The conditions where excellent for the players, where the amenities in the office were well suited for creativity and thought.

With numerous players from the Charleston Chess Club as well as high school players, a Swiss-system format was used, so many of the newcomers had games against higher rated players. After three rounds, the only player achieving a 3-0 score was CCC member, John Vonderlieth, a long-time class “A” player and former Expert. Congratulations to John for his effort!

For the benefit of the younger players, the CCC offered a free set and board for the top player under 1400. After tiebreaks, Joshua Hutchins(pictured below, left), won the prize and has an extra set and board to help with his chess career. Thanks to all who participated and keep up the good chess!

This week, 7/13, we will be doing another G:30 quad. The following week, 7/20, we will be having a business meeting to discuss what activities we would like to do in the coming weeks. After the business meeting, on the 20th, current club champion Stephen Welt will be performing a simul, he promises to play quickly if not very well.

On Saturday, July 23, 2011, the Charleston Chess Club will host a USCF-rated tournament at the office of SPARC on Daniel Island. The net proceeds from the $10 entry fee will be used to assist the fledgling chess program at Summerville High School. Time control: G/60 (45′ + 15″ with increment clock). Registration: 9-9:30am. Rounds: 9:45am, 1pm, and 3:15pm. Tournament format (Swiss, quads, etc.) will be decided based on number and rating profile of participants. USCF membership required. Pre-registration and contact: Chris Falter, 213 Goldfinch Ln., Summerville, SC 29485 (843)-696-8277. Come have fun and make a difference!

At the request of one of our newest members National Master Ananth Pappu we will be doing G:30 quads next week. Although the lower section of our club championship is yet to be completed many of the participants are finished and we encourage players in all sections to come out and play. This format, one of my favorites, is a great opportunity for players to get a lot of rated games into one night.

If you are wishing to play please show up before 7:30, when we will be starting.

With a victory against new CCC member, NM Ananth Pappu, in the final game of the Upper Section last night, club president, Stephen Welt, becomes our 2011 Club Champion. Many games in the Upper Section came down to flag-hanging conclusions for many of the players. Stephen, after dropping one game against fellow A player, Dennis Dawley, survived the other competition to score 4-1 and take the title. Ananth, who also dropped a previous game against John Vonderlieth, survived to the final game against Stephen, but succumbed to Stephen’s pressure play, but was still rewarded for his effort with the Runner Up trophy. Congratulations to Stephen and Ananth for their hard-earned prizes.

Revised (#2): The 2011 CCC Championship has begun with twelve club members participating in two sections. The following round robin crosstables reflect games played thus far (for pairings, click on “Club Calendar”):

The annual election of officers will be held during the April 6, 2011, meeting. For those who need to renew their memberships, we will be taking annual dues ($5) from 7:00pm until 7:30pm. The business meeting will begin at 7:30pm. Come out and give your support for the club officers of your choice and have your voice heard. See you there!

Before departing with their prize money, we captured the above Snowstorm Special winners for the record. Left to right, Wayne Christensen (Top Expert prize), Expert Donny Gray and current S.C. champion, Philipp Lamby (Tied for 1st/2nd).

Even with a light turnout of only eighteen players, the 37th Snowstorm Special will plod forward to determine prize winners by Sunday afternoon. Representation by class “B” through Expert is average in numbers, but the lower classes, “E” through “C”, are slim. Many of our lower rated players are missing out on the opportunity to win a class prize this year. If you are reading this post and can arrive before the 2nd round begins, we will still enter you with a half-point bye in the first round and at the pre-entry fee of $70. If you can’t play, but have some time this weekend, stop by and check out the chess books and equipment for sale, some at “rock-bottom” prices and even some free! We still have some bags, boards and sets available, too. Hope to see you here!

The 37th edition of the Snowstorm Special Open chess tournament begins Friday night, February 4th. This USCF Hertiage event started in 1973 when the Charleston Chess Club held a junior championship during one of the heaviest snowstorms in Charleston history. Still, young players from around the state showed up and vied for the title. Due to the support in inclimate weather, Ernie and Joan Schlich, the club’s officers, decided to commemorate the event each year since with an open format tournament. Though the tournament was not held in 2002 and 2003 due to lack of organizers, it was re-started in 2004 and has continued to be held ever since. The list of champions for the event extends from local favorites to state champions to International masters. It is a tournament for all players since you are always competing for a prize either at the top or in your rating class. It’s a great tournament to achieve your first “scalp” of a higher rated player since you can be paired against the top group of players, especially in the first round. But don’t despair, since even a loss does not hurt you from competing against your own level players for the class prizes. Many times, a 3-2 score wins or ties for the class prize and anything higher competes sometimes for a place prize.

Check out the announcement on the main page, right column, under “Upcoming Tournaments”. The last chance to register at the pre-entry rate is tonight at our club meeting.

Results of the latest Weekly Swiss tournament are posted and after the abbreviated rounds for each section, Stephen Welt took first place in the Upper Section with three wins and a draw. In the Lower Section, Gordon Miller turned in an impressive 3-0 score to take first place. For the next weekly swiss, Stephen has proposed lengthening the time control to Game 75. If you were hesitant to play Game 60 in the past, this should help those worried about time pressure. Remember, the club championship is normally Game 90, so this is a good way to build up your game beforehand. Check out the results by clicking “Weekly Swiss Results” on the right of the main page.

The 6th Patrick D. Hart Memorial (PHM) Scholastic chess tournament is being held January 22, 2011. The new site is the Hawthorn Suites, 2455 Savannah Hwy (US17South) in Charleston, SC. This is a USCF-rated tournament, but features a special non-USCF section for beginning players. Checkout the details by clicking on “Upcoming Tournaments” on our main webpage (right side). For those who never knew Pat, he was an avid chessplayer who excelled in both over-the-board and postal chess, achieving an Expert rating in both. Though stricken with muscular dystrophy since his youth and wheel chair bound, he was an able chessplayer, even excelling at speed and blitz chess. Pat was also the backbone behind the Charleston Chess Club, where he served as President and perenial Treasurer until near the end of his life. He also served as the S.C. Chess Assocation’s Treasurer from 1985 until his death. He will always be remembered as a pillar of both Charleston and South Carolina chess. For all scholastic players, join us at the 6th PHM Scholastic and help us support chess as Pat would have.

John Vonderlieth joined his other top club players by chalking up a victory in the Upper section of Weekly Swiss V. His undefeated score included a win against past champion, Stephen Welt, and a draw with David Causey, who won the last tournament. Also, in the Lower Section, Michael Doyle had to score points against his other competitors while subjecting himself to games against the upper section when he was paired twice due to lack of opponents. Congratulations to both victors in their respective sections. Weekly Swiss VI will begin on January 5 and will be limited to just 4 rounds in order to avoid pairing issues (but if sufficient players turnout, we can easily make it five rounds). It’s a great time to tune up your game before our annual Snowstorm Special in February.

Approximately ten members and guests turned out for Wednesday night’s meeting venue at Mad River Bar and Grill. Six members did battle in round 3 of the Weekly Swiss V, resulting in an upset win on top board between new expert, Stephen Welt, and former expert, now “A”, John Vonderlieth. The second pairing in the Upper Section was Ian Morton playing White against David Causey. An agreed draw was the result after Causey had been up two pawns, but could not consolidate his position with the presence of opposite-colored bishops. John Vonderlieth now leads the Upper Section with 2 pts., with three others tied at 1.5.

One game was paired in the Lower Section due to only three players present. Michael Doyle scored the point against Porter Claytor, while James Pollard graciously accepted the full point bye as the odd player. Michael now leads the Lower Section with 2.5 points.

The CCC will meet next Wednesday at the usual site. We need more participants to show up for the final two rounds of the Weekly Swiss V. Remember, these games are great warm-ups for the upcoming Snowstorm Special in February, 2011.

Due to a church event at Park Circle Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, the Charleston Chess Club will hold its weekly meeting on December 15th at the Mad River Bar and Grille Restaurant at 32 North Market Street in downtown Charleston. There is a parking garage just south of Market Street on East Bay Street or you may find street parking on Market Street or East Bay Street. Go to the following link for directions:

Our meeting will officially commence at 7pm, but for those attending this special event, they can come earlier and enjoy the food and beverage before the meeting (during is okay, too!). We will try to have our 3rd round weekly swiss if conditions are favorable, otherwise, be ready for lots of skittle and/or blitz games and chess chat. See you there!

The Folloween IV chess tournament attracted just 10 players in one section, but the competition more than made up for the low numbers. In attendance was the 2010 South Carolina champion, Philipp Lamby, from Columbia, who scored two wins and one draw against three of the Charleston Chess Club’s top “A” players to take first prize. Stephen Welt, Ian Morton and David Causey tied for 2nd with two points and split the 2nd and 3rd place prize money. A special Under 1200 prize was created for the lower rated players playing in the main section and Charles Ommen and James Pollard split the prize with one point. See USCF crosstable below for the final results.

Just to be sure everyone is aware, the club will meet on Wednesday, 11/24/10, at the regular time and place. Last year, we had a nice turnout of eager players, so don’t be detered that no one will show up to play. We will start a new weekly swiss if turnout is sufficient.